In eleven succinct chapters, the reader gets it all: the background, the beginnings, the Indian wars, the turbulent Kieft and Stuyvesant directorships, the people, their desire for their needs and wants to be met, and the legacy the Dutch left behind. Firth Fabend tells the story of New Netherland in a highly readable fashion suitable for anyone unfamiliar with this important chapter in U.S. colonial history.

From the exploration of Henry Hudson in 1609 to the final transfer of the Dutch colony to the English in 1674. This book introduces key aspects of New Netherland: the multicultural makeup of the population, the privatization of colonization, the ability to survive with meager means against overwhelming odds, and the transfer of distinctive Dutch traits, such as toleration, free trade, and social mobility, all of which persisted long after New Netherland became New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and parts of Connecticut and Pennsylvania. New Netherland in a Nutshell will satisfy the questions: who were the Dutch, why did they come here, and what did they do once they got here?

Illustrated with the paintings of artist L. F. Tantillo, this “handy, richly packed resource gives the reader the background, the actors, the action, and the legacy. In clear prose, it covers a lot of history in a few pages.” Russell Shorto, author of The Island at the Center of the World.